Chris Sutton says Celtic star ‘hasn’t done enough’ to prove he can be a starter under Brendan Rodgers

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There is always pressure when you play for Celtic, but perhaps some areas of the pitch bring more scrutiny than others.

You could argue that’s the case with the attacking areas, with many Celtic fans questioning and wondering how Brendan Rodgers’ forward line is going to shape up.

Kyogo Furuhashi left in January, and he hasn’t been replaced, whilst Nicolas Kuhn joined Como, and Jota is out injured long term.

In some cases, it opens the door for certain players, but it also puts a bigger spotlight on them, and Hyunjun Yang certainly falls into that category.

• READ MORE: Who is Yang? Meet Celtic’s youngster who is finally finding his feet

Hyunjun Yang ‘hasn’t done enough’ at Celtic

It was a mixed season for Yang last time out. There were periods where he wasn’t proving his worth, but then he was showing signs of improvement.

Chris Sutton doesn’t have confidence in the player, and he thinks he ‘hasn’t done enough’ to claim that first-team starting spot.

Speaking in his Daily Record column, Sutton also feels this puts more pressure on the shoulders of Daizen Maeda, and he thinks Celtic would be ‘right up against it’ if he were to get injured.

“Celtic have lost Nicolas Kuhn, Kyogo and Jota to injury, chuck in Matt O’Riley last summer, and that’s a huge amount of goals that have gone from the team,” stated Sutton.

“They only have Maeda, James Forrest and Yang in the wide areas – and it’s not enough. Forrest is 34 years old, and while he’s a proven performer, he’s had injury issues in recent seasons.

“Yang hasn’t done enough to suggest he’s capable of being a first-team regular yet, and there’s an awful lot on the shoulders of Maeda. God forbid if he were to get injured – Celtic would be right up against it.”

Yang’s numbers at Celtic

The thing with Yang is that he turned 23 in May, so he is still a young player, but you feel that tag will wear away ahead of the forthcoming campaign.

Plus, with Kuhn out of the door, you are now going to expect more from the South Korean star because his numbers, at his former club Gangwon FC, and now here in Glasgow, just haven’t been good enough.

Yang has been linked with Norwich City, so he might not even get that chance next season, and in truth, if he were to leave, many of the Celtic supporters wouldn’t be fussed.